The Marietta College women’s basketball team opened its season with a defensive statement Saturday evening, rolling past Penn State Altoona 84-54 at Ban Johnson Arena behind a balanced attack that put 14 different Pioneers in the scoring column.
Penn State Altoona scored first, but Marietta seized control almost immediately, according to the official recap from Marietta College Athletics. A layup from Amelia Uhrig tied the game at 2-2, Kendall Sury and Emma Rasmussen pushed the Pioneers ahead, and a defense that forced eight first-quarter turnovers built a commanding 21-6 lead after one period.
The Lions found some rhythm in the second quarter behind Ellie Irvin’s three-point shooting — she hit four threes in the period and finished with a game-high 17 points — but Marietta answered every push. Peyten Bruns converted an old-fashioned three-point play and tipped in a missed shot at the halftime horn to send the Pioneers into the break up 48-26, Marietta College Athletics reported.
Any thought of a comeback ended early in the third. After Altoona briefly cut the margin to 19, Marietta ripped off a 13-2 run sparked by Abby Garner, Sury and Ella McMillen, and the Pioneers carried a 78-39 lead into the fourth quarter, when the bench closed out the opener.
Sury led Marietta with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Bruns added 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench. Kelsey Harlan chipped in five points and a game-high seven assists. As a team, the Pioneers shot 53.1 percent from the floor, won the rebounding battle 41-27, dished out 20 assists on 34 made field goals, forced 15 turnovers and scored 47 bench points, according to Marietta College Athletics.
“I’m proud of how our team approached the game from start to finish,” Marietta head coach Jenna Andersen said in the recap published by Marietta College Athletics. “We had contributions on both sides of the ball, but our defensive intensity and commitment were what allowed us to get the win.”
The win starts Marietta at 1-0 while Penn State Altoona falls to 0-1. What happens next is a road test: the Pioneers travel to Rochester, New York, on Friday, Nov. 13, for the Chuck Resler Tournament, opening against Vassar College at 1 p.m. “We’ll enjoy this win, then get back to work next week as we prepare for a great challenge in Rochester,” Andersen told Marietta College Athletics.
Photo: w_lemay, CC BY-SA